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Cancer Legal Advocacy Guide – 2023 Edition Now Available!

The Interest Group developed a legal advocacy guide to provide an overview of the issues people with cancer are likely to encounter and to enable attorneys to better offer assistance to people during diagnosis, treatment, and while in remission. The guide was originally designed to address issues associated with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer; however, it is currently being updated to be relevant to people with any cancer, their caregivers, and loved ones. Download the updated guide now!

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Membership

All ABA members are eligible to join the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group. You do not need to be a member of the Health Law Section to join us. If you are interested in taking an active role on the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group, please contact [email protected]

Volunteers Wanted

For those interested in taking on a more active role in the IG's work, we are currently looking for volunteers to help us enhance the following initiatives: (1) Member digital communications (2) Contributing to a quarterly newsletter (3) Researching new developments in Cancer Legal Advocacy (4) Planning IG activities (5) Planning fundraising initiatives

History of the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group

In 1993, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession launched the ABA Breast Cancer Initiative to provide information and education on a wide range of legal issues related to women's health and to provided resources to lawyers and consumers facing breast cancer. In 2008, the ABA Health Law Section assumed responsibility for the project calling it the Breast Cancer Initiative Interest Group. Then in 2019, the Interest Group became the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group to expand the scope of the Interest Group's mission. With our partners, the Cancer Legal Research Center (CLRC) and Triage Cancer, we continue to provide resources to attorneys and promote legal pro bono and low cost legal services on a wide range of issues facing people with a cancer or other life threatening diagnosis.

We Need Your Help to Continue Our Good Work

Since 2007, the ABA Health Law Section's Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group (formerly the Breast Cancer Initiatives Task Force) has sponsored 33 Training Workshops across the country reaching over 1,000 attorneys and has presented training webinars for countless attorneys including those lawyers directly involved in legal advocacy for patients, treatment facilities, social services, and a host of other sectors that touch upon patients and their families facing this debilitating disease. Over the years, the Cancer Legal Advocacy Interest Group has trained more than a thousand attorneys on the legal issues impacting cancer patients, survivors and their families and enabled them to provide free or low-cost legal services to individuals and their families in crisis.

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ModioLegal - Join the Audio Evolution

Subscribe to the Audio Editions of The Health Lawyer and ABA Health eSource Today! Enter the email address corresponding to your Health Law Section membership.

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ABA Health Law Section Communities

This new web-based platform is designed to make it easier for you to connect and collaborate with your peers, discuss important health law topics related to your Interest Group and Task Force preferences, and keep up-to-date about the latest member offerings.

Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC)

The Cancer Legal Resource Center (CLRC) is a national program of the Disability Rights Legal Center. The CLRC provides free information and resources on cancer-related legal issues to survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and others coping with cancer. A cancer diagnosis may carry with it a variety of legal issues, including insurance coverage, navigation, and appeals, employment and leave from work, and estate planning. The CLRC has assisted over 160,000 people with these legal issues through a national Telephone Assistance Line, educational seminars, teleconferences, conferences, and other community events. The CLRC's Professional Panel of over 275 attorneys and other professionals provide additional assistance. The CLRC has collaborated with organizations nationally to provide legal information, resources, and referrals, including partnering with the ABA Health Law Section’s Cancer Advocacy Interest Group. The Cancer Legal Resource Center 1541 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 400 Los Angeles, CA 90017 (866) THE-CLRC (843-2572)

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Triage Cancer

Triage Cancer is a national, nonprofit organization that provides education on the practical and legal issues that may impact individuals diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers. We help those diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers obtain access to the resources they need to make the best decisions. Our cancer events, materials, and resources provide the most objective, factual information available for those that need it most. Through our educational and advocacy efforts, we are able to provide those diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers a path to empowerment to find their best approach forward, beyond diagnosis.

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